Needle shield remover and a medicament delivery device comprising the needle shield remover

ABSTRACT

A needle shield remover for a medicament delivery device is presented that has a metal tubular body, a proximal part, a distal part, and a substantially circular cross-section, where the tubular body is arranged with a slot extending from a distal end of the body, at least half the length of the body, towards a proximal end, such that at least the distal part of the body may flex radially outwards to exert a radially inwardly directed clamping force on a needle shield accommodated by the body.

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

The present application is a continuation of U.S. patent applicationSer. No. 16/759,999, filed Apr. 28, 2020, which is a U.S. National PhaseApplication pursuant to 35 U.S.C. § 371 of International Application No.PCT/EP2018/074238 filed Sep. 10, 2018, which claims priority to EuropeanPatent Application No. 17200475.6 filed Nov. 7, 2017. The entiredisclosure contents of these applications are herewith incorporated byreference into the present application.

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present disclosure relates to a needle shield remover and inparticular to a needle shield remover having a radially flexible body.

BACKGROUND

Today's medicament delivery devices may be complex and involve manydifferent components. The more components comprised in a device, themore complicated and costly it becomes. It is therefore necessary tominimize the number of components and to reduce the cost and complexityof each individual component.

The present disclosure relates to one such component, namely to a needleshield remover. The needle shield remover is often assembled with a cap,or closure member, of a medicament delivery device and is engaged to aneedle shield, which protects a needle by hermetically enclosing it. Theshield may comprise a flexible rubber member in which the needle isembedded, i.e. a flexible needle shield (FNS). For some applications,the FNS is provided with a rigid outer shell, i.e. a rigid needle shield(RNS). To be able to remove the needle shield before use of themedicament delivery device, the needle shield remover is provided withgripping members that engage the needle shield. Since the needle shieldremover is attached to the cap, removal of the cap will also pull awaythe needle shield from the needle, due to the gripping members'engagement with the needle shield.

A conventional needle shield remover is disclosed in EP2255842, whereina cap (manually operable member) comprises a needle shield remover(tubular shaped member), which surrounds a RNS. Flexible grippingmembers are arranged in the needle shield remover to engage the RNS suchthat when a user pulls the cap off a medicament delivery device, theneedle shield remover will grip the RNS and pull it off an injectionneedle, thereby making the device ready for delivery of a dose ofmedicament.

However, the needle shield remover of the referenced prior art devicesuffers from the fact that it is costly, because it is formed out of aseamless stainless steel tube. In addition, the prior art device relieson the relatively weak resilient force of the flexible gripping membersto engage the RNS and dislodge it from the injection needle—an operationwhich may require considerable force. The prior art gripping members mayalso rely on good tolerances for the gripping members to engage certainareas of the RNS, such as depressions in the outer circumferentialsurface, or the rear edge of the RNS. Since the position of the RNSrelative to the needle shield remover may vary depending on tolerancesof the glass container. The position may also depend on the handling ofthe delivery device since the container and its needle shield may moveinside the delivery device, for instance due to accidental impacts. Ifthe position of the needle shield is not correct, the prior art grippingmembers may not be able to engage the needle shield, which will resultin the needle shield still being attached to the needle and to thecontainer when the cap is removed from the housing.

SUMMARY

In the present disclosure, when the term “distal” is used, this refersto the direction pointing away from the dose delivery site. When theterm “distal part/end” is used, this refers to the part/end of thedelivery device, or the parts/ends of the members thereof, which underuse of the medicament delivery device is/are located furthest away fromthe dose delivery site. Correspondingly, when the term “proximal” isused, this refers to the direction pointing to the dose delivery site.When the term “proximal part/end” is used, this refers to the part/endof the delivery device, or the parts/ends of the members thereof, whichunder use of the medicament delivery device is/are located closest tothe dose delivery site.

Further, the term “longitudinal”, with or without “axis”, refers to adirection or an axis through the device or components thereof in thedirection of the longest extension of the device or the component.

The term “lateral”, with or without “axis”, refers to a direction or anaxis through the device or components thereof in the direction of thebroadest extension of the device or the component. “Lateral” may alsorefer to a position to the side of a “longitudinally” elongated body.

In a similar manner, the terms “radial” or “transversal”, with orwithout “axis”, refers to a direction or an axis through the device orcomponents thereof in a direction generally perpendicular to thelongitudinal direction, e.g. “radially outward” would refer to adirection pointing away from the longitudinal axis.

In view of the background outlined above, a general object of thepresent disclosure is to provide a needle shield remover for amedicament delivery device, which needle shield remover is radiallyflexible and may exert a radial clamping force on a needle shieldaccommodated therein.

According to a main aspect of the disclosure it is characterised by aneedle shield remover for a medicament delivery device, which needleshield remover comprises a metal tubular body, having a proximal part, adistal part, and a substantially circular cross-section, the tubularbody being arranged with a slot extending from a distal end of the body,at least half the length of the body, towards a proximal end, such thatat least the distal part of the body may flex radially outwards to exerta radially inwardly directed clamping force on a needle shieldaccommodated in the body.

An inner radius of the tubular body is equal to or smaller than an outerradius of a needle shield. Therefore, the tubular body of the needleshield remover will flex radially outwards when the needle shield isinserted in the body, such that the body exerts a radial clamping forceon the needle shield. The clamping force may be selected, as deemedappropriate, as a function of the inner radius of the body in relationto the outer radius of the needle shield. A smaller inner radius of thebody results in a greater clamping force.

According to another object of the present disclosure an inner diameterof at least the distal part of the body, in a relaxed state, is smallerthan an outer diameter of the needle shield that is to be accommodatedby the body.

Due to the inner diameter of the body being smaller than the outerdiameter of the needle shield, the body, or at least the distal part ofthe body, needs to flex radially outwards, i.e. to expand, to make roomfor the needle shield. When the needle shield is in place, i.e.accommodated in the body, the body will seek to return to the relaxedstate and thereby exerts a radially inwardly directed clamping force onthe needle shield.

According to another object of the present disclosure the body is formedof a rolled metal sheet.

A rolled metal sheet is preferable to a tube in that it is easier andless expensive to manufacture the needle shield remover from a sheetthan from a tube. It will also naturally provide the inwardly directedclamping force when it is flexed radially outwards.

According to another object of the present disclosure the slot is formedof a gap between substantially parallel opposing edges of the rolledmetal sheet.

An advantage of the rolled metal sheet is that the slot is formed by thespace between the substantially parallel opposing edges of the metalsheet which is rolled to form the tubular body of the needle shieldremover. The radial clamping force that is used to engage the needleshield is configured by adapting the diameter of the rolled body inrelation to the diameter of the needle shield that is to be removed. Asmaller diameter of the body results in a greater clamping force on theneedle shield.

According to another object of the present disclosure the opposing edgesof the proximal part of the body are arranged with mutually engagingstructures such as to prevent radial flexing of the proximal part of thebody when the distal part of the body flexes radially due toaccommodation of a needle shield therein.

In order to stabilise the proximal part of the body at the connectionwith the cap, the metal sheet may be provided with an engagingstructure, such as a positive connection, e.g. a jigsaw shape, at theproximal part of the body. The opposing edges of the proximal part ofthe body may thereby be attached to each other to provide the proximalpart of the tubular body with a rigid diameter.

According to another object of the present disclosure a transversalcut-out intersects the slot between the proximal part and the distalpart to reduce radial flexing of the proximal part of the body when thedistal part of the body flexes radially due to accommodation of a needleshield therein.

An alternative, or additional, solution is thereby provided to stabilisethe proximal part of the tubular body by mechanically isolating theproximal part from the radial flexing of the distal part. Thetransversal slot intersects the longitudinal slot such that the radialforces resulting from the expansion of the distal part, as the needleshield remover accommodates the needle shield, are isolated and reducethe radial expansion forces on the proximal part.

According to another object of the present disclosure the slot is formedas a partial cut-out from a distal end of a wall of a metal tube suchthat the proximal part of the body is radially rigid and the distal partof the body is radially flexible.

A metal tube may be utilised to form the body by cutting a substantiallylongitudinal slot in a tubular wall of the tube, from the distal end ofthe tube towards the proximal end, but leaving a proximal part of thetube intact. A distal part of the tube forms the distal part of the bodyand is radially flexible to provide a radial clamping force, whereas theproximal part of the tube forms the proximal part of the body and issubstantially radially rigid, or inflexible. The rigid proximal partprovides a more reliable attachment of the needle shield remover to acap of the medicament delivery device.

According to another object of the present disclosure rigid grippingmembers protrude radially inwards from the distal part of the body.

The rigid gripping members are relatively strong and mechanicallyresistant in relation to conventional, flexible, gripping members. Theradially inwardly directed clamping force of the body urges the rigidgripping members into contact with a needle shield accommodated in thebody. By comparison, conventional, flexible, gripping members would bepressed flat against the needle shield due to the radial clamping forceof the body of the needle shield remover. Consequently, flexiblegripping members would not be able to engage an outer surface of theneedle shield.

According to another object of the present disclosure the rigid grippingmembers are formed as radially inwardly directed punched structures,having proximally directed edges to enhance friction between the bodyand a needle shield accommodated in the body, when the body isproximally urged.

The inwardly directed structures, having proximally directed edges,comprise holes punched out of the metal body, and the rim, or edge, ofeach hole is a relatively sharp lip that provides a frictionalengagement with the outer surface of the needle shield accommodated inthe body. Accordingly, an increased clamping force of the body of theneedle shield remover also increases said frictional engagement sincethe gripping members are rigid and do not deform under the clampingforce of the body.

According to another object of the present disclosure the proximal partof the tubular body is arranged with an attachment structure forconnecting the needle shield remover to a cap of a medicament deliverydevice.

The tubular body forms the needle shield remover, which may be attachedto a cap of a medicament delivery device, such that removal of the capresults in the removal of a needle shield that covers an injectionneedle of the medicament delivery device.

According to another object of the present disclosure the attachmentstructure comprises a circumferential groove formed in the tubular body.

A circumferential groove may be snap-fitted with a correspondingattachment structure of the cap.

According to another object of the present disclosure the attachmentstructure comprises radially outwardly directed tongues formed bycut-outs of the proximal end of the tubular body.

Tongues may be cut in the proximal end of the tubular body. The tonguesare especially simple to cut and to bend in the metal sheet, which isthereafter rolled to form the tubular body.

According to another object of the present disclosure the attachmentstructure comprises a radially outwardly directed flange.

The proximal end of the body may also be formed as a radially outwardlydirected flange, i.e. forming the attachment structure without tongues.

According to further object of the present disclosure a medicamentdelivery device comprises a needle shield remover according to any ofthe previous embodiments.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES

FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view of a prior art cap, needle shieldremover, and syringe;

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of a needle shield remover according to apossible embodiment of the present disclosure;

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of a needle shield remover according toanother embodiment of the present disclosure;

FIG. 4 is a perspective view of a needle shield remover according to yetanother embodiment of the present disclosure;

FIG. 5 is a perspective view of a needle shield remover according tostill another embodiment of the present disclosure;

FIG. 6 is a perspective view of a needle shield remover according to yetanother possible embodiment of the present disclosure;

FIG. 7A is a perspective view of a cap containing a needle shieldremover according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

FIG. 7B is an exploded perspective view of a cap and a needle shieldremover according to a third embodiment of the present disclosure;

FIG. 8 is a conceptual schematic view of a possible manufacturing set-upfor making the needle shield removers of the present disclosure; and

FIG. 9 is a perspective view of a needle shield remover according to yetanother possible embodiment of the present disclosure.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

FIG. 1 shows a cross-sectional view of a known cap and needle shieldremover. A needle 95 is fixedly mounted in a proximal end of a container94, such as a glass syringe. The syringe is accommodated in a housing 99of a medicament delivery device. A generally tubular cap 90 is assembledwith a tubular needle shield remover 91 via a connection, where a mutualcircumferential groove-protrusion 97 of the needle shield remover,mating with a corresponding protrusion-groove 98 located in a cup 96 ofthe cap 90. The cap-needle shield remover assembly is removably attachedto the housing 99. A flexible needle shield 93 b, embedding the needle95, is attached to, and accommodated in, a rigid needle shield 93 a. Theneedle shield remover 91 comprises flexible gripping members 92, in theform of radially inwardly protruding tongues, which engage the needleshield 93 a and 93 b by protruding into holes, or depressions, in atubular wall of the rigid needle shield 93 a. When the medicamentdelivery device is to be used, a user pulls the cap 90 proximally awayfrom the housing 99. The gripping members 92 will thereby pull the rigidneedle shield 93 a and the flexible needle shield 93 b off the needle95, exposing the needle 95.

As previously described, prior art needle shield removers are relativelyexpensive components of a medicament delivery device, because they areoften manufactured from seamless stainless steel tubes, which are cut indesired lengths and provided with gripping members 92 and attachmentsstructures, such as the groove-protrusions 97, 98. They also rely on theflexible gripping members 92 being able to engage the needle shield,either at a depression at the circumferential side surface of the needleshield, or at the distal end, i.e. a rear-facing end surface of theneedle shield. Due to tolerances and an uncertain position of thecontainer 94 in relation to the housing 99, such an engagement cannotalways be assured.

An object of the present disclosure is therefore to provide a lesscostly and more reliable needle shield remover. Basically, the solutionpertains to a needle shield remover 30 which comprises a metal tubularbody 100, 200, having a proximal part A, a distal part B, and asubstantially circular cross-section, the tubular body 100, 200 beingarranged with a slot extending from a distal end of the body, at leasthalf the length of the body 100, 200, towards a proximal end, such thatat least the distal part B of the body may flex radially outwards toexert a radially inwardly directed clamping force on a needle shieldaccommodated by the body 100, 200. See FIGS. 2-6 .

The clamping force may be produced by ensuring that an inner diameter ofat least the distal part B of the body, in a relaxed state, is smallerthan an outer diameter of the needle shield that is to be accommodatedby the body. Thus, when the container with its needle and needle shieldare mounted in a housing of the medicament delivery device, similarly tothe prior art device shown in FIG. 1 , the needle shield remover 30,which is assembled with a cap 40 (FIGS. 7A and 7B), may be pushed ontothe needle shield such that the distal part B of the body 100, 200 isradially expanded relative to a longitudinal axis 500. As the metal bodyseeks to relax towards the relaxed, non-expanded state, the radiallyinwardly directed clamping force is exerted on the needle shield.

The clamping force may be exploited for the employment of an improvedkind of rigid gripping members 32, as compared to the flexible prior artgripping members 92. The rigid gripping members 32 protrude radiallyinwards from a tubular wall of the distal part B of the body 100, 200.The gripping members 32 are formed as radially inwardly directed punchedstructures, having proximally directed edges to enhance friction betweenthe body 100, 200 and a needle shield accommodated in the body 100, 200,when the body is proximally urged, such as when the cap 40 is removedfrom the housing of the medicament delivery device by the user.

The rigid gripping members 32 are relatively strong and mechanicallyresistant in relation to the conventional, flexible, gripping members92. The radially inwardly directed clamping force of the body urges therigid gripping members 32 into contact with a needle shield accommodatedin the body 100, 200. By comparison, the conventional, flexible,gripping members 92 would be pressed flat against the needle shield dueto the radial clamping force of the body 100, 200 of the needle shieldremover 30. Consequently, flexible gripping members 92 would not be ableto engage an outer surface of the needle shield.

The inwardly directed structures, having proximally directed edges,comprise holes punched out of the metal body. The rim, or edge, of eachhole has a relatively sharp lip which provides a frictional engagementwith the outer surface of the needle shield accommodated in the body100, 200. Accordingly, an increased clamping force of the body of theneedle shield remover also increases the frictional engagement since thegripping members 32 are rigid and do not deform under the clamping forceof the body 100, 200.

The slot 10, 20 expands, or widens, as the needle shield is accommodatedin the needle shield remover 30 from the distal end of the needle shieldremover 30. Usually, the needle shield does not extend the whole lengthof the needle shield remover 30. The main flexing movement and clampingforce of the needle shield remover will therefore be exerted by thedistal part B. Furthermore, the proximal part is configured to beattached to the cap 40, as will be explained below. To ensure a goodattachment to the cap it may be preferable to stabilise the proximalpart A, to reduce the radial flexing thereof.

In one embodiment, the body 100 is formed of a rolled metal sheet. SeeFIGS. 2-5 . The rolled metal sheet may be formed into a tubular body ina number of simple processing steps (FIG. 8 ). The metal sheet tubularbody 100 is therefore a less costly alternative to the seamlessstainless tube 91 of prior art devices. The diameter of the body 100 isfurthermore easy to set during manufacture of the body 100 to configurethe appropriate clamping force.

The slot 10 of the rolled metal sheet tubular body is formed of a gapbetween substantially parallel opposing edges of the rolled metal sheet.The slot 10 extends the whole length of the body 100. Basically, thewhole body may be allowed to flex radially as the needle shield isaccommodated therein, without significantly affecting the attachment ofthe cap 40 at the proximal part A of the body 100. Such a configurationis shown in FIG. 2 .

However, if the radial flexing of the proximal part A of the body 100 isperceived as a problem, various measures may be taken to reduce theflexing in the proximal part A, as mentioned above. FIG. 3 shows theneedle shield remover 30 wherein a transversal cut-out 34 intersects theslot 10 between the proximal part A and the distal part B to reduceradial flexing of the proximal part A of the body when the distal part Bof the body 100 flexes radially due to accommodation of a needle shieldtherein. The transversal cut-out thereby relieves the proximal part A ofthe radial forces at work in the distal part B when accommodating theneedle shield in the needle shield remover 30, which stabilises theattachment of the needle shield remover with the cap 40. The transversalcut-out may be described as two transversal cut-out arms which extendfrom the slot 10. Each cut-out arm preferably extends at least a quarterof the circumference of the body 100 from the slot 10.

An alternative solution is shown in FIGS. 4 and 5 , wherein the opposingedges of the proximal part A of the body 100 are arranged with mutuallyengaging structures 36 a, 36 b such as to prevent radial flexing of theproximal part of the body when the distal part of the body flexesradially due to accommodation of a needle shield therein. The mutuallyengaging structure 36 a (FIG. 4 ) is shown as a positive connection,such as a jigsaw connection 36 a. Other forms of connections are alsoconceivable, such as latches, snap fits, etc. The purpose is to lock theopposing edges of the proximal part A to each other to reduce the radialflexing.

Another alternative solution to achieve the stable proximal part A, butstill provide the clamping forces around the needle shield is to formthe slot 20 as a partial cut-out from a distal end of a wall of a metaltube such that the proximal part A of the body 200 is radially rigid andthe distal part B of the body 200 is radially flexible. See FIG. 6 .Obviously, the advantage of the low-cost, rolled metal sheet is lost,but the clamping forces achieved by the slot still allow the use of therigid gripping members 32.

In FIGS. 2-7 , the needle shield remover 30 is shown with the body 100,200 arranged with an attachment structure 38, 39 for connecting theneedle shield remover to a cap 40 of a medicament delivery device. Theattachment structure may be radially extending tongues 38 formed bycut-outs of the proximal end of the tubular body 100, 200 or a radiallyoutwardly directed flange 39 (FIG. 6 ).

An alternative attachments structure may be the conventionalgroove-protrusion structure known from prior art. An elongatedprotrusion along the circumferential surface of the body 100, 200 isconfigured to mate with an elongated groove of a correspondingattachments structure of the cap 40 in a snap-fit connection (notshown). Of course, the protrusion of the body may be exchanged for agroove as exemplified in FIG. 9 , and the groove of the cap may beexchanged for a corresponding protrusion. However, the radiallyextending tongues 38, or flange 39, described above, are more robust toany radial flexing of the proximal part A of the needle shield remover30.

An alternative attachments structure may be the conventionalgroove-protrusion structure known from prior art. An elongatedprotrusion along the circumferential surface of the body 100, 200 isconfigured to mate with an elongated groove of a correspondingattachments structure of the cap 40 in a snap-fit connection (notshown). Of course, the protrusion of the body may be exchanged for agroove, and the groove of the cap may be exchanged for a correspondingprotrusion. However, the radially extending tongues 38, or flange 39,described above, are more robust to any radial flexing of the proximalpart A of the needle shield remover 30.

FIG. 8 shows a conceptual view of some manufacturing steps of the needleshield remover 30 having a rolled metal sheet body 100. Metal sheets aresupplied (i) and cut into preferred widths and lengths. Gripping membersand attachment structures are punched in the metal sheets (ii). Theattachments structures are folded (iii). The sheets are formed intohalf-pipes (iv), followed by shaping of the half-pipes into tubularforms (v), which concludes the fabrication of the needle shield remover(vi).

The invention claimed is:
 1. A needle shield remover comprising: a metaltubular body having a longitudinal axis, a proximal part, a distal part,and a substantially circular cross-section, where a portion of thedistal part flexes radially outwards relative to the longitudinal axiswhen a needle shield is positioned within the tubular body, where theoutward radial flexing of the portion of the distal part causes asimultaneous radial inward clamping force exerted by a portion of theproximal part on the needle shield; and an attachment structure locatedat a proximal end of the proximal part of the tubular body, where theattachment structure comprises a radially outwardly directed flange thatis securely held inside of a removable cap of a medicament deliverydevice such that the cap can rotate relative to the tubular body but isaxially fixed to the tubular body.
 2. The needle shield remover of claim1, wherein the cap comprises a cap housing and a lid, where the flangeis sandwiched between an inner surface of a lid attached to a proximalpart of the cap and the cap housing that is attached to a proximal partof the cap.
 3. The needle shield remover of claim 1, wherein the flangeconnects directly to an inner surface of a lid that is attached to aproximal part of the cap housing.
 4. The needle shield remover of claim1, wherein the flange comprises a plurality of tongues.
 5. The needleshield remover of claim 1, wherein the flange further comprises aplurality of cut-outs adjacent the tongues.
 6. The needle shield removerof claim 1, wherein tongues are formed by cut-outs in a terminalproximal end of the proximal part of the tubular body.
 7. The needleshield remover of claim 1 further comprising a plurality of grippingmembers located in the distal part that protrude radially inwardsrelative to the longitudinal axis, where the gripping members areconfigured to engage the needle shield such that axial movement of thetubular body directly results in simultaneous axial movement of theneedle shield.
 8. The needle shield remover of claim 1 furthercomprising an engaging structure located in the proximal part of thetubular body configured to prevent outward radial flexing of theproximal part when the portion of the distal part flexes radiallyinward.
 9. The needle shield remover of claim 1, wherein the distal partof the tubular body comprises an inner diameter, that in a relaxed stateis smaller than an outer diameter of the needle shield that is to beaccommodated by the tubular body.
 10. The needle shield remover of claim1, wherein the tubular body is formed from a single rolled metal sheet.11. The needle shield remover of claim 1, wherein the tubular body isfurther comprises substantially parallel opposing edges of a singlerolled metal sheet.
 12. The needle shield remover according to claim 11,wherein the opposing edges of the proximal part of the tubular body arearranged with mutually engaging structures to prevent radial flexing ofthe proximal part of the tubular body when the distal part of thetubular body flexes radially when accommodating the needle shield. 13.The needle shield remover according to claim 1, wherein the flangecomprises a plurality of tongues that are formed by punching cut-outsalong an edge of a single metal sheet and then folding the tonguesbefore shaping the metal sheet into the tubular body such the tonguesare generally perpendicular to the longitudinal axis.
 14. A medicamentdelivery device comprising: a housing; a removable protective cap; and aneedle shield remover according to claim 7 axially fixed to an insideportion of the protective cap.
 15. A needle shield remover comprising: ametal tubular body having a longitudinal axis, a proximal part, a distalpart, and a substantially circular cross-section, where a portion of thedistal part flexes radially outwards relative to the longitudinal axiswhen a needle shield is positioned within the tubular body, where theoutward radial flexing of the portion of the distal part causes asimultaneous radial inward clamping force exerted by a portion of theproximal part on the needle shield; a plurality of gripping memberslocated in the distal part that protrude radially inwards relative tothe longitudinal axis, where the gripping members are configured toengage the needle shield such that axial movement of the tubular bodydirectly results in simultaneous axial movement of the needle shield;and an attachment structure located at a proximal end of the proximalpart of the tubular body, where the attachment structure comprises aradially outwardly directed tongues defining a radially outwardlydirected flange that is configured to form a connection to a removablecap of a medicament delivery device, wherein the cap comprises a caphousing and a lid, where the flange is sandwiched between an innersurface of a lid attached to a proximal part of the cap and the caphousing that is attached to a proximal part of the cap.
 16. The needleshield remover according to claim 15, wherein the flanged is positionedwithin the cap such that the cap housing and the lid can rotate relativeto the tubular body but axial proximal movement of the cap housingrelative to the needle shield will cause axial movement of the tubularbody such that the gripping members engage the needle shield.
 17. Theneedle shield remover according to claim 15, wherein the grippingmembers comprise rigid punched sheet metal structures each having aproximally directed edge.
 18. A medicament delivery device comprising: ahousing; a protective cap removably mounted to the housing; and a needleshield remover according to claim 15 axially fixed to an inside portionof the protective cap.